The Transparency Illusion
If we take a close look at Hemet PD's Flock Transparency Portal, they list a total of 360 different agencies across California who have 24/7 access to their Flock data. This includes access given to Tribal Police, Universities, Fire Departments, and State Parks in Northern California. Yet, despite the department's public assurance that this network is for law enforcement purposes only, the data tells a different story. Out of those 360 agencies, only 13 of them are in Riverside County, while 4 of those agencies have no relation to law enforcement whatsoever.
The true financial impact of this system comes down to local municipal budgeting. There are a total of 158 Flock cameras in Hemet that we know of, not including San Jacinto and Valle Vista. Each camera costs around $250 to $1,000 for installation, depending on what's needed, averaging out to about $500 each. Since these cameras are leased, the city also pays an additional $3,000 per camera annually, as well as any service calls for upgrades and repairs. That amounts to roughly $79,000 for the installations and an additional $474,000 per year to keep those cameras operational, not including service calls. This entire network is 100% taxpayer funded, which equates to 4-5 additional officers based on Hemet PD's average salaries if the city kept that money in the police department to build up its human infrastructure.
They claim "License Plates and Vehicles" are what's detected, while explicitly stating that "Facial recognition, People, Gender, Race" are not. The issue with these claims is that they are wrong. Flock certainly detects more than license plates and vehicles. As for what's not detected, facial recognition technology can easily be added after the data has been collected, as it does not need to be a part of the camera system itself. A recent Flock data breach by the hacking group stegan0gram exposed that these ALPR cameras do in fact take photos, videos, and analyze people, as well as animals. Not to mention the Flock Condor models which were specifically designed to detect and track people, which Hemet has 33 Condor models according to public records.
Flock reduced its default data retention period for automated license plate readers from 30 days to 7 days due to growing privacy concerns. However, according to the transparency portal, Hemet PD still holds onto the maximum 30 day retention period.
Hemet residents are left with a system that costs hundreds of thousands of dollars annually, dilutes physical police staffing, stores data far longer than industry recommendations, and pipes local driving habits to hundreds of outside agencies across the state. As the city faces critical choices regarding Measure Q, its municipal budget, and community trust, city leadership must answer a fundamental question: Is the illusion of high-tech safety worth the reality of empty patrol cars, unmonitored data streams, and higher sales taxes? Asking residents to fund a new tax to patch public safety deficits rings hollow when hundreds of thousands of existing taxpayer dollars are quietly funneled into a private tech lease. Until the city prioritizes real boots on the ground over digital dragnets, local residents will continue to pay the ultimate price, both at the cash register and on the streets, for an over-engineered surveillance network that watches them more than it protects them.
Posted Sep 25, 2026, 5:19 PM UTC